Smoke bomb

[dagabu]

I made a few decent smoke bombs using 48% KNO3, 27% Wax, 25% Sugar (thanks pyrogeorge). I don't have a ball mill, so I just left the KNO3 as it came (about as granular as ordinary sugar) and used icing sugar. Firetech, I just bought a couple of packets of ordinary tealight candles, (non-long burning, non-scented etc.) so they're pretty well pure paraffin wax, and it's easy as pie to take them out of their containers then remove the wick. I sifted the KNO3 and sugar into the molten wax to ensure even consistency. Total cost was $10, with enough left over to make as many again.

 

For my tubes I used cardboard tubes from; toilet paper, wrapping paper (cut up of course), and paper towel (also cut up); wrapped in Al foil (folded into the ends and held in place with tape). Plugs were made from 16 layers of paper (folded A4) wrapped in Al foil. Used commercial sparklers as a fuse (needed 3 to get them to light consistently, 1 full one for length/time, and one cut in half). Once assembled and full of mix, the whole thing was wrapped in foil again, mainly to help hold the top plug in place. A few which had less foil flamed instead of smoking, but this was easily fixed by knocking them over with a long stick, after which they smoked like a charm.

 

WOW!

 

Thats a lot of work for white smoke. Just melt the KNO3 and sugar in an electric pan outside and pour the contents into a toilet paper tube and stick a piece of visco fuse into the comp before it hardens, wrap the whole shebang in aluminum tape and store in a ziplock baggie.

 

Dave

 

BTW- my son does fire juggling (POI) with homemade RC sugar formed in and around Nomex rope. It smokes, it flames, at lasts about a minute and he is the only one I know of that uses it. He gets calls all summer long for demonstrations.

Edited October 2, 2009 by dagabu

[alexpyro101]

You can't color KNO3-based smoke. If you want colored smokes, use chlorates. Yes, wax does both. The smoke device will burn longer, and put out more smoke. But to make it smoke more, the common formula is 60:40:40 of KNO3:Sugar:Paraffin wax. Mix the kno3 and the Su, melt the wax, and stir it in. Psycos method will just make them waterproof.

 

not true, i have made colored smoke with kno3 and seen it done before. but unless your formula is perfect it likes to go grayish yellow. thing is though it can be done

[Mumbles]

This is one of those things where we'll believe it when we see it. I don't doubt that it can be done, but its certainly easier said than done. There are plenty of fake videos out there. It's definitely not as easy as adding any dye you find to some nitrate and sugar comp.

[Potassiumchlorate]

60:40 is an excellent smoke composition - for white smoke, and especially if you pre-melt the sugar.

 

I once made 1.6 kg (1 kg of KNO₃ and 0.6 kg of sugar) and poured the melt mixture in big a tin can. There was a smoke cloud about ½ km long.

 

But coloured smoke is much harder. Haven't been successful in that myself yet. You need to get the dye airfloat from the rest of the mix burning, and that is an art to do.

[CryptoSyche]

Hello guys, I read your posts today and did a wax smoke bomb myself. Though the smoke was kind of black at first, then it faded away. My question would be what is the cause of black smoke? I have tried cooking 60/40 mix to peanut butter and burning it. Yeah it burned more than smoked, but still the smoke was kind of white...

 

So, why the wax smoke bomb smoke was black? Can bad wax be an issue? I used 60/40/30. I didn't mill any of the chemicals. Would milling them increase the density of the smoke? Nothing else caught on fire, the mixture was wrapped in aluminum foil.

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

First don't try to cook it to caramelize it

Maybe you use wax from candles which will affect the smoke because it contains stearin.

After trying for months the right ratios I have found that the best ratios for the " legendary smoke" are: 46% paraffin wax, 26% powder sugar and 28% paraffin wax.

 

Here are some new videos ( I'm sorry but I deleted my older channel where I had amazing smokes)

This is about 90 grams in a tennis ball

 

http://youtu.be/uyj3DMVtgTs

 

This is a 100 grams mix but with added Sodium Bicarbonate 3% to increase the duration ( it affects the color though)

 

http://youtu.be/SmY6tS8OKC8

 

And here is a 200 grams one that lasted about 3 minutes ( with 2% added baking soda)

 

http://youtu.be/LBIDgZwG-Gw

[Mumbles]

The black color could have come from several sources. If your wax was not 100% pure paraffin wax, the color could have just been dyes or additives burning off. Alternatively, some aluminum foil coating will burn and char a bit, so that may have done it too.

[AirCowPeacock]

I have found if there is black smoke, it's probably because you're buring either the casing or something around the smoke bomb.

[CryptoSyche]

Thank you guys so much for the info. AirsoftSmokeScreen, i will surely try your mix do you mill your potassium nitrate to a powder, like the powder sugar? Also, where would be the best place to get pure paraffin wax?

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

I don't mill the KNO3, just be sure to be fine ( I mean there won't be big balls:))

Usually paraffin wax you can find at a candle supplier, in my country they sell only at 20 kg bags so I had to buy one

Don't try with melted candles because it ruins the smoke, bad smelling, hard to ignite ( as I told you the candles contains stearin besides paraffin)

Try to find Flakes paraffin wax or granulated paraffin wax.

My paraffin wax has this technical details:

Melting point 59-60 degrees Celsius

Oil content : max 0,5%

Here is the link, but is in romanian

http://www.parafina-...parafina-fulgi/

 

Sorry for the error in my previous post, I typed 2 times paraffin wax and forgot about KNO3 and I can't edit it anymore:

The ratios I use are: 46 KNO3 26 sugar 28 paraffin wax.

P.S. The crucial key in these smokes is to let a small hole for the smoke to exit, because too much oxygen from outside would make flames instead of smoke

Edited February 24, 2013 by AirsoftSmokeScreen

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

Made 2 smokes today so I have to share with you

 

This is the biggest one ever made by me so far ( 400 grams)

 

http://youtu.be/_tuea4s-BDQ

 

And here is a 300 one on a very windy day (the same composition)

 

http://youtu.be/SYuhZe80DbQ

[CryptoSyche]

Very nice! Keep up the work! what do you use for end caps?

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

Thanks ,

 

For the bottom I use some paper sheets covered in aluminum foil and hammered well ( as you can see if you make the bottom very thin the smoke will exit even there at some point)

For the top a cardboard held very good with duct tape and then aluminum foil cover.

I only let a small hole for ejection cause too much oxygen will catch fire.

This week I want to make one in the style of the famous military smoke grenade RDG-2 ( with holes in both directions and a large cloud of smoke in a short time) but with the same composition

 

Sorry for my bad english, I hope you understand what I said

 

P.S. I found that for me the best fuses are those made from safety matches soaked in water and a cotton wire dropped and then let to dry ( I have a video on my channel with the fuses tests).

That's because the black match I make happens to destroy the aluminum foil at the top when I light them so the result is an uncovered smoke bomb and then it burns with fire...

Edited February 27, 2013 by AirsoftSmokeScreen

[Riptide]

Just thinking aloud, but what would happen if you added some sort of insence to a smoke bomb?

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

It would smell like you are in a church

With the paraffin there, it already smells a bit like church candles

P.S. I love how they smell and I'm not religious lol

[Mumbles]

Incense is a very broad term. The chances of burning up the compounds added for scent is probably fairly high. I feel I have to mention that no smoke produced by a smoke device is really all that good to be breathing anyway.

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

Just made a video with two big smoke bombs and I have to share it with you. I put them back to back and it looks like the RDG-2 military smoke grenades Awesome smoke cloud

http://youtu.be/wYqvfxlyjPg

[AirsoftSmokeScreen]

For the smoke bomb fans, I have tried a new formula for the legendary mix with 3% Calcium Carbonate.

It was simply amazing

So this is just a 60 grams one

Kno3 45% sugar 26% paraffin wax 29% and CALCIUM CARBONATE 3 grams

The smoke is much whiter in my opinion, hope it helps somebody

http://youtu.be/POR-T2xzgTo

[Sammikins]

Melt sugar and after it has carmelized, add the pottassium nitrate and mix it for a while and then pour it into a toilet paper tube. Stick a fuse on one end and then wrap it in electrical tape, it an easy way to contain and test comps.

 

Sam

[caineroad]

Guys, I am new here. Just made my first smoke bomb with 60g kno3, 40g, sugar and 33g of wax. It turned out great. I am wondering what if I double the amount of these ingredients? Would it become a fireball or just creating more smoke??

 

My second question is if I want more smoke, which one would be better? One smoke bomb with double the ingredients, or make two smaller bombs?

 

thanks

 

Edited February 12, 2014 by caineroad

[somecommiebastard]

Melt sugar and after it has carmelized, add the pottassium nitrate and mix it for a while and then pour it into a toilet paper tube. Stick a fuse on one end and then wrap it in electrical tape, it an easy way to contain and test comps.

 

Sam

TBH toilet paper tubes are too weak as a smoke bomb casing since there's a good chance the casing wont survive the buring composition and it would just produce a large flaming blob that doesn't make much smoke.